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Saturday, December 27, 2014

In response to our inquirers, the International Association of Consumer Based Technologies (IACBT) has released the following statement.In this world of rapid, unregulated advancements in the field of microbiological technology, driven by short sighted corporate profits and flamed by fickle consumer demands, it would
seem inevitable that something as small as a fungus spore could eventually be manipulated, whether intentionally or unintentionally, into a rogue contagion with the ability to diversely impact the stability of humanity.Although this statement is a far cry from publicly supporting the existence of Nomadic Fungi, NFI greatly appreciates that the IACBT has acknowledged the possibility that a phenomenon such as Nomadic Fungi could occur.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Mushrooms are amazingly well designed to maximize the dispersal of spores. Like sand on the beach, each of the delicate gills are covered in spores waiting for that slight breeze to lift them off and into the wide open world...

...And the NFI newsletter will also be propagating like mushrooms just as soon as we get all these MailChimp boxes checked off correctly.

Monday, November 10, 2014

In the virtual world of checked or uncheck boxes it's a simple click that stops the wheels of progress and keeps the presses from rolling.

Our unpaid, volunteer, technical novices are working hard to get the NFI feed switched over to MailChimp as quickly and smoothly as possible. In the meantime please enjoy yet another slightly tweaked photo of a shiitake mushroom.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Over this last month the NFI staff have been focused on bringing the NFI newsletter distribution platform up to the 21st century. This process began with the realization that our old subscription management program was not functioning on a professional, consistent nor reliable manner. The next step was realizing that none of us had a clue as to what to do about it. Thus a month of research and cursing ensued.

This posting of a slightly tweaked common commercial shiitake mushroom is a test to see if all that damnation has paid off.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Published in 1956 at 6355 pages, the final edition of the Wobblers Encyclopedia of Parasitic Fungi is by far the most expansive treatise pertaining to all aspects of parasitic fungi. It is internationally recognized as the foremost resource for information pertaining to the world of parasitic fungi.

The author, Mr. Rotifer H. Wobbler began compiling information while still a youth at the Laramie Middle School. From those early days he envisioned an encyclopedia that would encompass all aspects of parasitic fungi. He spent the majority of his life obsessively researching, saving, organizing, editing, drafting, and revising his encyclopedia.

At one point the encyclopedia included a complete list of all known insect hosts of the fungus known as cordyceps. This list also included hundreds of illustrations. The publisher after calculating the staggering cost to print such a goliathan volume suggested that some editing was required, and that the list of insect hosts and associated illustrations should be the first things removed. Mr. Wobbler flatly refused which put the publishing of his encyclopedia on indefinite hold.

Months later while at a cocktail party the hostess asked Mr. Wobbler just how many kinds of bugs there are in the world? He boosted that there are roughly 3 million, but new research in the canopies of the tropical rain forests suggests that the number could climb as high as 30 million. Then with a faraway look on his face he said "Stupid, stupid, idiot!" He turned around and left the party. Misunderstanding his last utterance the hostess took great offense and never invited Mr. Wobbler to any future social gatherings.

Mr. Wobbler, upon reaching his home called his publisher and stated that a complete list of insect hosts was an impossibility and demanded that the list and associated illustrations be removed immediately. This first edit opened the doorway for additional revisions which twelve years later resulted in the publication we know today.

As for the illustrations, it was thought that they were all destroyed when Mr. Wobbler's home burned down shortly after his disappearance. But apparently Mr. Wobbler gave his Aunt Monkey several shoe boxes full of illustrations. Aunt Monkey was not known to be fond of entomology, nor a collector of art, but she was obviously fond of Mr. Wobbler and keep the shoe boxes in a trunk where they were recently found by her granddaughter.

For more information on the Mr. Wobbler and the Wobblers Encyclopedia Of Parasitic Fungi please follow this LINK.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Sprouting from the back windshield of a 1978 Monte Carlo, this Nomadic Fungus is Batman black, with mouse ears and a large blunt lobster claw that reaches over the front hood in eager pursuit of it's next host. There's no doubt this muscle car can burn some rubber and lay down some serious spores.

This union of fungus and machine is the result of a collaboration between NFI and the 3d rapid prototyping company SculptCAD. It's a 3D resin print that stands 8"x 3"x 10" tall.

It will be on display at the Rapid 2014 conference in Detroit as part of the SculptCAD Rapid Artists program. Big thank you to SculptCAD for this opportunity and to their fantastic staff for all the help in getting this project done.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Nomadic Fungi Institute has been working with SculptCAD on a 3D computer print of the NFI logo. This week, after some quality tweaking and back up support from the SculptCAD staff the NFI sculpture was sent to the printer.

The digital sculpture was printed in a semi opaque white plastic resin with overall dimensions about
8"x 3"x 10" tall. The NFI team sanded it smooth as seen in the photo above and applied the first of several coats of semigloss black lacquer .

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

As previously reported, the Nomadic Fungi Institute has been very fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the SculptCAD Rapid Artists program. With the help of the staff at SculptCAD we are creating a sculptural print of the NFI logo.

Using the Freeform surface modeling software and the heavily dog eared copy of How to Generate a 3D Model manual, we spent the afternoon carving away bits and bites, slowly turning our digital potato into a 1978 Monte Carlo and then attaching a Nomadic Fungus to the back windshield.

To help clearify the design, our friends at Studio Six Art Conservation created a small oil clay model, seen in the foreground. This really helped to visualize the digital construction of the 3D model.

Next week, we delve into technical tweaks such as shelling, sizing and refining the surface.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

It's a bit outside the Nomadic Fungi Institute's area of focus, but when offered the chance to transform the NFI logo into a computer printed sculpture we decided to jump at the chance.

The 3D sculpting company SculptCAD has been sponsoring the SculptCAD Rapid Artists program since 2010. Each year they collaborate with a handful of artists to create sculptures utilizing rapid prototyping and 3D printing. Once printed and finished by the artist, the sculptures are exhibited at the national Rapid Conference.

The first step in the process was to create a pile of drawings using old fashion pencil and paper. Our goal was to translate the NFI logo into a sculpture that is quickly readable and can be understood even by those who are not familiar with Nomadic Fungi.

The next step was to head down to the SculptCAD studio and dive into the world of 3D modeling. Fortunately the Freeform software is structured more like Photoshop and less like the number heavy AutoCAD programs, so within moments the computer screen was covered in melon balls and cheese doodles.

Friday, June 27, 2014

This report also included an animated GIF which unfortunately caused many of the email updates to go directly into spam files. So NFI is sending this email out to let you know that something big is afoot.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

With the failure of the spore sprouting test on Lab Sample NF-2014-001 things have turned a bit gloomy around the Nomadic Fungi Institute. Then this morning the NFI archivist approached me with his head hung low, and I thought to myself Damn, he's going to resign. Just what I need, staff quitting just because one damn lab test didn't work out....

Not surprisingly he began the conversation with "I think you are going to be mad at me, but I have something to tell you."

Struggling to keep the growl out of my voice, I responded "Go ahead, I'm sure we can work something out."

He stood there for a half second, then with a stutter he said "Well, when we were doing the lab work on the spore sample, I couldn't find any disinfectant to clean the tools with so I used kerosene from an old can I found out in the tool shed. And, well, afterwords I didn't want to pour the kerosene down the sink, so I put the bucket in the shed, next to the lawnmower. And, well, I don't know how it got in there, but when I went out to the tool shed today I found this in the bottom of the bucket, and, well..."

He held out a Matchbox Ford Gremlin covered in green and yellow carbuncles. My eyes did that cartoon bug out thing and I yelled "Eureka! We have sprouted spores!!!"

Monday, June 9, 2014

It began auspiciously as a culture of clear slime slowly developing over the entire surface of the vehicle. (See previous document: Spore Sprouting Terrarium Up Date) Unfortunately during the past 30 days no new developments have been noted. So we have come to the conclusion that the NF spores have failed to germinate.

The excitement generated by this test has been keeping the NFI staff spirits very high and very productive. Lots of of items on the to do list have been completed. The backlog of paperwork has been whittled down to mere sticks, and even the more menial tasks such as cleaning the bathroom has been attended to with a smile.

But now, with this official announcement that the test has failed, a dark cloud hangs over NFI. The old musty files seem twice as musty and twice as numerous. Complaints of allergies have replaced whistled tunes...

Thursday, June 5, 2014

On May 2nd, 2014 the Nomadic Fungi Institute began conducting tests on NF spores to determine if the spores can germinate under controlled conditions. Relying on data gathered during the examination of Sample BT OTT-NF2014, the NFI labs created what appears to be the preferred environment of NF spores inside an air tight specimen jar. This jar and all documents pertaining to this test are now labeled as Lab Sample NF Spore Spout 2014-001.

June 1st, 2014, the following notes were made on Lab Sample NF Spore Sprout 2014-001.

During the first 30 days a glossy sheen appeared on all the surfaces of the vehicle. Developments are encouraging.

During the next 30 days, the sheen developed into a thick clear slime. The under carriage and interior floor panels have buckled. The pleather seats appear soft and supple. Although there are no visible signs of mycelium growth, we remain optimistic.

All notes are based on visual observations only. The lid of the jar remains sealed and has not been opened.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

The research lab at the Nomadic Fungi Institute has been a very busy place as the investigation of the sample BT OTT-NF2014 continues to shed new light on the world of nomadic fungi.

In the last NFI document What Attracts Nomadic Fungus Spores, it was noted that the preferred environment of the NF spores is one that is heavily saturated with modern industrial products made from polyvinyl chlorides and/or petroleum, materials that are commonly associated with automobiles.

Following this line of observation, the NFI lab has proposed to construct a sealed container that mimics this preferred environment, and to use this container in the attempt to sprout NF spores.

On May 1st 2014, NFI acquired two miniaturized Austin Mini Metros. One of these is being held as a control model, while the other is being used as the base material on which the NFI lab hopes to sprout NF spores.

On May 2nd 2014, the base model was placed inside a straight sided, clear glass specimen jar along with a large dollop of motor oil sludge collected from Oily Joe's Auto Service Shop. The container was then infused with NF spores and sealed.

As of this posting May 4th 2014, no activity has been noted inside the jar.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

As noted in the previous document Extraction Of Fertile Nomadic Fungus Spores, NFI has successfully extracted spore samples and is now focusing on how those spores interact with the environment and what materials they respond to.

Unlike most molds and fungi, the Nomadic Fungus spores do not thrive on rotting organic materials such as wood or food stuffs. In fact if the Nomadic Fungus spores are forced to remain in such an environment they shrivel up and quickly disintegrate. Surprisingly, Nomadic Fungus spores will bounce off of natural fibers such as cotton or silk, but will become firmly entangled in the fibers of the shag carpet.

It has been noted in controlled lab tests that the airborne Nomadic Fungus spores are more inclined to land on materials made from plastic, rubber, or steel. Surfaces coated with petroleum based products such as KY jelly or 10W-30 motor oil will attract the Nomadic Fungus spores with an almost magnetic pull, whereas liquids such as distilled water or vegetable oil have the opposite effect, repelling the Nomadic Fungus spore away.

These early observations suggest that the Nomadic Fungus spores have evolved to thrive in habitats that are composed of modern industrial products, and that the ideal environment for the germination and propagation of NF spores is the automobile.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

The Nomadic Fungi Institute is now posting on Instagram at @nomadic_fungi,also look forhashtag #nomadicfungi

As part of our long range goal to spread the word about Nomadic Fungi, NFI has steadily been building an online presence, first by constructing the NFI wed site: The World Of Nomadic Fungi, then launching into the field of social media with our own FaceBook Page. Now, NFI has stepped up the pace with the addition of an Instagram account: @nomadic_fungi
On @nomadic_fungi you will find images posted directly from the NFI staff. Some of these images will be official documents that include brief descriptions, and some will be off the cuff photos, a view into the world of NFI.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

With the recent acquisition of the BP Oil Transport Truck Nomadic Fungus specimen NFI has begun the very delicate process of examination and documentation.

We can verify at this point that the specimen produces ballistospores, which is a spore that is discharged into the air once the fungus has come into maturity. This specimen appears to be just short of maturing and discharging its first ballistosposes.

Using a 5X magnification lamp and micro-tweezers NFI has extracted a few spore samples. These spores which are practically invisible to the naked eye are structurally very solid and have evolved to float on the lightest puff of wind.

Friday, February 28, 2014

Most of the information that the Nomadic Fungi Institute gathers comes by way of digging through dusty filing cabinets located in musty library basements, or from people who commonly begin their statements with My Uncle once told me... or I found these strange photographs in an old shoe box.

It's not often that someone walks into the NFI office, pulls a large chuck of organic material from their pocket and says I'll trade this for a 4.10 shotgun.

One look at the plump purple and red mass the he held in his hand and we were on the phone to the local gun shop...

Our friendly barter from Lower Mud Lake Louisiana told us he saw this slimy treelike thing growing on a broken down BP oil transport truck. He was out hunting rabbits at the time, so with a few well placed shots he was able to extract a sample. Unfortunately, in his hast to vacate the area he dropped his shotgun, and due to the security guards chasing him he was unable to turn around and retrieve it.

As for the sample, it does indeed appear to be from the fungus family, and judging by the size of it's radiating lamellae it came from something much, much bigger than your average store bought portobello. The sample appears to be relatively fresh, meaty, and even slightly moist to the touch. It is quite possible that it could still produce fertile spores. But don't worry, as you can see in the photograph above, NFI has taken the appropriate precautions to contain and document this highly prized specimen.